Breaking Boundaries with Lua Widgets

April

27, 2018

If it’s building, scripting, or creating huge interactive experiences, we know that every developer works differently. We want to support all developers so they can fully customize their Studio view, meeting their creative needs for whatever they’re innovating. To take Studio customizability one step further, we’re proud to introduce Lua Widgets!

What’s a Lua Widget?

A widget is a dockable window that can be dragged, dropped, and scaled independently of your workspace. Previously, plugins like Terrain Tools were locked to the 3D viewport, which could take up valuable screen space in Studio. Today we’re excited to empower developers with the ability to update their plugins so they can be freely detached from the Ribbon Bar or 3D viewport, much like the Toolbox, Explorer, and Properties widgets.

Building from the Ground Up

To start, Terrain Tools have been changed into their own freely floating widget as seen in the video below. With Lua Widgets, developers now have that same power. For more information, be sure to check out the Roblox Developer Wiki.

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Anything Else?

Studio will remember if a Lua Widget previously existed, so—unless overwritten by the developer—the placement and scaling will persist. It saves your customized layout!

Have you tried creating your own Lua Widget yet? Let us know what you think about this new feature on the Developer Forum.